The time we spend outdoors in the summer sunlight can certainly be enjoyable—but it can also be beneficial to our health. UV rays help us synthesize Vitamin D, which is essential to bone health. Appropriate exposure to sunlight also helps us regulate our production of melatonin and serotonin, promoting healthy sleep cycles. Sunlight and fresh air are more than the background setting when we spend time outdoors; they are significant ingredients to our good health.
This summer, consider how donors feel about the time they spend engaged with your organization. Is the engagement experience both enjoyable and significant for them? Do they feel that their contributions are fully utilized and meaningfully celebrated?
Strive to make engagement enjoyable for all by taking a donor-centered approach. Here are 3 things donors have told us would make their engagement experiences more enjoyable, and more meaningful.
- Emphasize What’s Different
Doing things the same way they’ve always been done does not drive results. As one donor told us, truly transformative philanthropy is inspired by people who “color the grass yellow.” How can you embrace what makes you special and different? How can you invite donors to see that difference?
2. Personalize Communication
While donors’ preferences widely vary, it is not an overstatement to assert that donors do not enjoy receiving frequent mass communications pieces. One donor described a “blizzard of information,” and another said that she feels like these organizations want to “guilt [her] into making a gift.” When you send communications, make them personal and valuable. If you aren’t sure what kinds of communications donors enjoy receiving, ask them!
3. Invite Expertise
While building a trust-based relationship, you will learn many of a donor’s interests and passions. As you identify these, remember that you can make engagement more enjoyable by inviting donors to use their unique areas of expertise. Consider how different interests might translate into conversations with subject matter experts, fundraising events, or other enjoyable—and beneficial—engagement opportunities.
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